Sanctuary
by Gackt Camui
Summary: In the midst of a static state of mind incurred by the uninspiring court life, Prince Endymion finds himself immersed in the intricacies of a woman who fell from the sky.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon._

**Sanctuary**

I had been into my twentieth year when I became bored with life. 

My regality within my late father's flourishing kingdom had always been glorified with abundance. Wealth had never been a matter, and the servants were to bend at my every beck and will. Women—from the most striking peasants to the excruciatingly cultured noblewomen—came from every corner of the world to bequeath their coy attentions to me. I had appreciated their interests, had fed on the affection they had freely given me. 

But soon, I had become bored of that as well. 

I had attempted at self-reflection to discover the source of my unease. I had discovered nothing except a festering tumor of the mundane. It grew a little everyday, and despite all the resources I had at hand, I could not isolate myself from its greedy, draining veins. 

My companions had promptly caught onto my declining enthusiasm for court. They hounded me night and day during my overture of stagnation, pelting me with insidious questions and some of the most absurd suggestions in hopes of remedying me of whatever disease I had procured. I knew within my soul that their concern was genuine, but I could not bring myself to admit so. I had become cold and my heart impenetrable. They had finally acknowledged defeat and left me to my own devices. 

I had found it increasingly ironic that I had been born under the stars of Leo. My nursemaid, when I was nothing more than a helpless babe, had been cultured in the cult teachings of astrology. She had recounted to me the meaning of my birth, particular with the lion—the symbol of strength and power that new leaders would come to identify with. Leo was the heavenly body that ruled the day and reigned over the sun; I was Leo. This she believed with an unshakable conviction, and believes so even now in her feeble old age. My failure for living up to such respectability had never once dissuaded her. For that, I was both obliged and guilt-ridden. 

At that time, the only thing that had offered me any solace was the immense woodland that stretched far behind my kingdom. It was hedged with sweet-smelling cedars and opened into a wide, rolling plain of fresh grass and perennial wildflowers. There, I rode daily, closest to my primordial mother. Nature soothed my anxiety with spacious arms and the earth beneath my feet returned each anguished step with a deep rumble of understanding. This was my haven. 

It was here, one day when I escaped to harmony that I encountered the enigmatic Ladies of Fate. I had been walking my steed across the endless expanse of blossoms to a trickling freshwater stream when an anarchy of fluttering white caught my eye in contrast to the smooth blue of the sky. The sun broke my concentration, so I passed the irregularity to a bird sailing the early summer heavens. 

But the bird fell with a muted crash not seven yards from where I stood. The rich flowers absorbed it almost gently. I hasted with a strange combination of anticipation and a desire to retreat sprouting in the pit of my belly. I approached with caution and was startled to see the body of a young woman lying amongst the flora. 

My initial thought was that she had fallen from the sky! How was it that such behaviors were possible? I combed the firmament with my eyes for any successive signs, and to my disappointment, found none. I stood awkwardly, caught between being baffled and making an attempt to rouse her. Surely she was dead; no one could suffer a fall as she had and survive. 

And to prove me wrong, she shifted. I could not see her face for she was still on her front. She rose, shaking in her frail garment, to her arms and stared unmoving at my leather riding boots beneath her face. 

I started, "My lady—" and could not fit another word in. 

She had thrown herself at my feet, trembling, and for a moment, all I could see was acres and acres of the wildest golden hair. It seemed almost animate, rolling across her slender back like the tumultuous sea. 

When I regained my breath, I lifted her gently by her bare, dainty elbows. Her head remained cast forward and veiled by that wealth of hair. 

"Your Majesty," she said, her soft voice quivering with each shallow breath. It chimed in my ears with a desolation that exceeded my own. 

My long dormant curiosity began to pique, and for the first time in months, I felt alive. How was it that she had known I was of royalty when she had never even chanced a glimpse of my face or any sovereign badge? 

I eased my knuckles under chin, and the shroud of gold parted into chaotic curls on either side of her ivory, heart-shaped face. Her skin was smudged grey with dirt, her cheeks wet with tears. Large cerulean eyes rimmed with red looked fearfully at me in reciprocation. I could see my precise reflection in their clarity. 

"Please, Your Majesty," she whispered again, forming the words slowly. Immediately, my gaze went to her rosebud mouth. 

Before me kneeled a creature of unsurpassed beauty. I not only felt my heart beating within my chest, but I heard it as well. The sound of blood was thunder in my ears. 

"My lady," I repeated thickly. My throat had gone dry; I did not know why. "How is it that you have fallen from the heavens before me?" 

She wavered and swallowed, her pale throat working. "If Your Majesty would permit, I must ask Your Majesty for a favor." 

I puzzled over her request, over her frightened, desperate eyes. With each second I spent gazing at her, I knew I could never turn her away. "Name your petition and you shall receive it." 

The faintest smile alighted her lips, the intriguing trepidation taking flight with a wave of relief. "I seek sanctuary." 

_AN: Written in, yep, you guessed it, Prince Endymion's vantage point. This is drabble. Although I have minuscule intention of continuing this, I would very much like to hear any comments or criticisms. ^^;; I know it's on the cliché side. Still, if anyone would like to take this over, feel free to. _


End file.
